Antonio Guterres Quotes

“Peter Sutherland rendered indispensable service to the United Nations. He was fearless and forceful in his advocacy for some of the world’s most vulnerable people [mournnig the death of Peter Sutherland]… Peter’s service coincided with my own as UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and I always found him to be a passionate ally and tireless supporter in addressing the challenges of human mobility and forced displacement.” – Antonio Guterres, UN.org, 7 January 2018.

“I encourage both sides [central Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)] to take the necessary steps to prepare the ground for a serious dialog… For the purpose of national reconciliation, enhancing the stability and confronting the threats that are still created by IS [the Daesh terrorist group], the current stability must be maintained.” – Antonio Guterres, Press TV, 6 January 2018.

“… The withdrawal of Frente Polisario elements from Guerguerat in April 2017, together with the earlier withdrawal of Moroccan elements from the area, was critical to creating an environment conducive to the resumption of dialogue under the auspices of his Personal Envoy Horst Kohler… Regular civilian and commercial traffic should not be obstructed and no action should be taken, which may constitute a change to the status quo of the Buffer Strip.” – Antonio Guterres, UN.org, 6 January 2018.

“…member states clearly recognized this commonality when they adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, two landmark achievements all the more remarkable for coming in a period of stark division in international responses to other challenges.” – Antonio Guterres, Xinhua, 5 January 2018.

“China’s great success and its achievements in poverty reduction have had a positive spillover effect on the world.” – Antonio Guterres, Xinhua, 5 January 2018.

“It is always a positive development to have a dialogue between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea.” – Antonio Guterres, Global Security, 4 January 2018.

“We can settle conflicts, overcome hatred and defend shared values. But we can only do that together. Narrow the gaps. Bridge the divides. Rebuild trust by bringing people together around common goals.” – Antonio Guterres, The News Nigeria, 31 December 2017.

“On New Year’s Day 2018, I am not issuing an appeal. I am issuing an alert – a red alert for our world. Conflicts have deepened and new dangers have emerged. Global anxieties about nuclear weapons are the highest since the Cold War. Climate change is moving faster than we are. Inequalities are growing. We see horrific violations of human rights. Nationalism and xenophobia are on the rise”.- Antonio Guterres, The News Nigeria, 31 December 2017.

“When I took office a year ago, I appealed for 2017 to be a year for peace, unfortunately in fundamental ways, the world has gone in reverse.” – Antonio Guterres, eNCA, 30 December 2017.

“The idea of ‘a simple standard for messy data’ will appeal to anyone like me, who has worked with humanitarian statistics and not always very able to understand them [speaking at the opening of the Centre for Humanitarian Data in The Hague in the Netherlands].” – Antonio Guterres, Global Security, 22 December 2017.

“Accurate data is the lifeblood of good policy and decision-making. Obtaining it, and sharing it across hundreds of organizations, in the middle of a humanitarian emergency, is complicated and time-consuming – but it is absolutely crucial [speaking at the opening of the Centre for Humanitarian Data in The Hague in the Netherlands].” – Antonio Guterres, Global Security, 22 December 2017.

“The worst possible thing that could happen is for us all to sleepwalk into a war that might have very dramatic circumstance [about North Korea].” – Antonio Guterres, NewWeek, 14 December 2017.

“There is of course no one-size-fits-all solution, and each country must walk its own path toward universal health coverage.” – Antonio Guterres, UN News Centre, 14 December 2017.

“Just as peace is not simply the absence of conflict, so is health not just the lack of illness. Our goal is not only a band-aid or a single dose of medicine, important as those are. Our goal must be overall well-being, physically and mentally for everyone in all countries.” – Antonio Guterres, UN News Centre, 14 December 2017.

“More women have access to modern contraception. Vaccination levels are up. More people living with HIV have access to anti-retrovirals. More people at risk of malaria are sleeping under an insecticide-treated nets. And an end to diseases such as polio is within sight.” – Antonio Guterres, UN News Centre, 14 December 2017.

“Our goal must be to protect and promote physical and mental well-being for all. Health is both an outcome and a driver of progress [speaking at the global Universal Health Coverage Forum 2017, in Tokyo, Japan].” – Antonio Guterres, UN News Centre, 14 December 2017.